Object measurement device

ABSTRACT

An object measurement device for ascertaining measurements of cuboidal and boxed packages to provide measurement data to a host computer is provided. The device may include a frame, a weight sensor, and one or more dimension sensors. The frame may include a base and a vertical support member that extends vertically from the base. The weight sensor may be positioned on the base and may be configured to emit a weight data signal. The dimension sensors may include an upper sensor and one or more side sensors. The upper sensor may be positioned on the vertical support member, and the side sensors may be positioned adjacent to the base. The dimension sensors may be configured to emit dimensional data signals. The host computer may be in communication with the weight and dimension sensors. The host computer may be configured to receive the weight and the dimensional measurement data.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of and claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/329,786 (Attorney Docket No. 1763.00006) filed on May 25, 2021 andtitled FOUR-DIMENSION (4D) SCALE FOR DISTRIBUTION AND WAREHOUSEMANAGEMENT, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS, which, in turn, claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.63/040,331 (Attorney Docket No. 1763.00003) filed on Jun. 17, 2020 andtitled FOUR-DIMENSION (4D) SCALE FOR DISTRIBUTION AND WAREHOUSEMANAGEMENT, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS. The contents of these applicationsare incorporated herein by reference, except to the extent that thecontent therein conflicts with the content herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to systems and methods for an objectweighing and dimensioning device for objects. Specifically, forascertaining measurements of cuboidal and boxed packages, and providingdata to computational devices for improving package managementprocesses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Distribution and warehousing operations include logistics, shipping andpostmarking systems, and may include the use of a parcel sizing devicefor the automatic determination of the three dimensions of a parcel,which dimensions are used to determine the shipping charge or thepostage amount for the parcel.

Determining the amount of parcel postage for a shipment depends onseveral parameters including the size and weight of the parcel. Theweight may either be entered manually with an external scale or be sentautomatically when the scale is connected to the automated system. Thedimensions of the parcel can be determined manually or automatically bya sender with a sizing device.

Small scale merchants, such as merchants that have less than 25employees, need an efficient and easy way to weigh and determine thedimensions of items, objects, and packages for shipping purposes. Oftensmall scale merchants manually weigh packages and manually determine thesize/dimensions of packages and then manually enter that informationinto a computer terminal to organize shipping and estimate shippingcosts. Thus, there is a need and desire by small scale merchants for away to more efficiently obtain information regarding the weight anddimensions of packages, and to digitize and save that information in aconvenient and cost-effective manner.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,541 describes a method and apparatus for measuringthe three dimensions of a parcel. The parcel is placed in the corner ofa field of measurement upon a flat surface and against two adjacentwalls. At the base of each wall, and along the angle where the adjacentwalls meet, is a calibrated reflective strip. The calibration marks oneach of the reflective strips are of known size and spacing. Two mobilesensors are activated for reading the number of visible calibrated marksand transmitting this data to a processor which calculates the length,width, and height of the parcel by subtracting the observed visiblecalibration marks from the number of possible calibration marks. Thethree dimensions (length, width, height) and eventually the weight canthen be displayed and/or transmitted to a parcel processing system.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,861 is directed to a method and apparatus formeasuring the dimensions and determining the three-dimensional, spatialvolume of objects. An object detection system is used to detect properplacement of an object to be measured, and waveguides are employed asstandoffs and received wave isolators for reflected-wave sensors.

This background information is provided to reveal information believedby the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention.No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that anyof the preceding information constitutes prior art against the presentinvention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the above in mind, embodiments of the present invention are relatedto an object measurement device to ascertain measurements of an objectand to provide data to a host computer. The device may include a base, avertical support member, a weight sensor, and a number of dimensionsensors. The base may be configured to carry objects on it. The verticalsupport member may be extending from the base in an upwards direction.

The weight sensor may be positioned on the base, and the weight sensormay be configured to sense the weight of the object placed on the base.The weight sensor may emit a weight measurement data signal relating toweight measurement data. The dimension sensors may be configured tosense the dimensions of the object placed on the base, and the dimensionsensors may emit dimensional measurement data signals relating todimensional measurement data.

The host computer may be in communication with the weight sensor and thedimensions sensors. The host computer may also be configured to receivethe weight measurement data emitted by the weight sensor, and the hostcomputer may be configured to receive the dimensional measurement dataemitted by the dimension sensors. The dimension sensors may be remotelyconnectable to the host computer.

The host computer may be configured to control the weight sensor and thedimension sensors. The host computer may also be configured to outputthe weight measurement data and the dimensional measurement data to acomputer network resource. The computer network resource may include aUniform Resource Locator (URL). The URL may be configured to publish theweight measurement data and the dimensional measurement data to beaccessible to computer-implemented package management processes.

The device may also include a pair of sidewalls. The sidewalls may beconnected to the base and may be extending upwardly from the base. Thepair of sidewalls may be positioned adjacent to the vertical supportmember. Ends of the pair of sidewalls may be positioned normal to eachother.

The device may also include a communication unit. The communication unitmay be coupled in communication with the weight sensor, the plurality ofdimension sensors, and the host computer. The communication unit maycomprise a wireless communication device. The communication unit may beconfigured to communicate the weight measurement data and/or thedimensional measurement data, which may be communicated via a network.

The communication unit may be carried by the base and/or the verticalsupport member, or the communication unit may be spaced apart from thebase and/or the vertical support member. The dimension sensors mayinclude a top dimension sensor and at least two side dimension sensors.The top dimension sensor may be positioned on the vertical supportmember. The side dimension sensors may be positioned adjacent the base.

The dimension sensors may be optical sensors, light sensors, ultrasoundsensors and/or laser sensors. The weight measurement data may be relatedto the weight of the object, and the dimension measurement data may berelated to the length, width, and height of the object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an exampleand are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, inwhich like references may indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a dimensioningdevice in accordance with features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the dimensioning device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example of the display, of thedimensioning device of FIG. 1 , showing the weight, height, length, andwidth measurements of a package.

FIGS. 4A-4C are illustrations of examples of a mobile interface when auser views the weight, height, length and width measurements from thedimensioning device of FIG. 1 on their mobile device.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer device thatmay control the warehouse/shipping capabilities and/or web applicationfor use in connection with the dimensioning device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a measurement relay device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the measurement relay device ofFIG. 6 , showing the input interface and communication ports.

FIG. 8 is a perspective schematic view of the measurement relay deviceof FIG. 7 in communication with a measurement device, a server, and amobile device.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a measurement relay deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an object measurement device, showing apackage thereon.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the object measurement device of FIG.10 , showing the object measurement device in communication with ameasurement relay device and other components.

FIGS. 12A-D are illustrations of examples of an interface displayed onthe display of the measurement relay device of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of communication connections of theobject measurement device of FIG. 11 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those ofordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of theembodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are notintended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the presentinvention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons havingthe benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

Although the following detailed description contains many specifics forthe purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that many variations and alterations to the following detailsare within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the followingembodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss ofgenerality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the invention.

In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilledin the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,”“upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience ofthe reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in theart should notice this description may contain other terminology toconvey position, orientation, and direction without departing from theprinciples of the present invention.

Furthermore, in this detailed description, a person skilled in the artshould note that quantitative qualifying terms such as “generally,”“substantially,” “mostly,” and other terms are used, in general, to meanthat the referred to object, characteristic, or quality constitutes amajority of the subject of the reference. The meaning of any of theseterms is dependent upon the context within which it is used, and themeaning may be expressly modified.

The present system and method may use wireless communications.Generally, depending on the type of wireless communication system, awireless communication device or mobile device, such as a smartphone,cellular telephone, two-way radio, personal digital assistant (PDA),personal computer (PC), laptop computer, home entertainment equipment,etc., communicates directly or indirectly with other wirelesscommunication devices. For direct communications (also known aspoint-to-point communications), the participating wireless communicationdevices tune their receivers and transmitters to the same channel orchannels (e.g., one of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) carriers ofthe wireless communication system) and communicate over that channel orchannels. For indirect wireless communications, each wirelesscommunication device communicates directly with an associated basestation (e.g., for cellular services) and/or an associated access point(e.g., for an in-home or in-building wireless network) via an assignedchannel. To complete a communication connection between the wirelesscommunication devices, the associated base stations and/or associatedaccess points communicate with each other directly, via a systemcontroller, via the public switch telephone network, via the Internet,and/or via some other wide area network.

Mobile devices can be portable handsets, smartphones, or personaldigital assistants, although they may be implemented in other forms. Forexample, mobile devices can be tablet computers, such as iPads, or othercomputing devices configured for communication through a mobile wirelesscommunication network and/or other types of wireless communicationlinks. Program applications, including the present warehouse managementand shipping application, can be configured to execute on many differenttypes of mobile devices. For example, a mobile device application can bewritten to execute on a Windows Mobile based mobile device, Android,iPhone, Java Mobile, or Blackberry based mobile device, for example.

An embodiment of the invention, as shown and described by the variousfigures and accompanying text, provides a dimensioning device for usewith computer-implemented package and shipping management processes orwarehouse management capabilities. The device and method are forascertaining four-dimensional measurements of cuboidal and boxed itemsto provide data to computerized package management processes.

This approach addresses a key problem of how to get dimensions for ashipping order loaded into the system without requiring a user to inputthe data manually. As discussed above, typically a package is measuredin three dimensions, width, length, and height and may also be measuredby the weight. With a command (e.g. activation from an applicationrunning on a handheld or mounted device) these four values may bemeasured and read into the system (and web application) for use inpreparing a package to be shipped.

Similar to how network printers may be configured for use in anapplication, there is an option to configure this network dimensioningdevice to read these dimension values. The dimensioning device may havea wired or wireless communication connection with the computer and/ornetwork running the package and shipping management software, e.g. thedevice may be Wi-Fi enabled.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , an example embodiment of the presentinvention will be described. A package dimensioning device 10 isconfigured for ascertaining measurements of cuboidal and boxed items(e.g., package 12) to provide data to computer-implemented packagemanagement processes, e.g., order processing, marketplace listings,shipping processing and/or Warehouse Management Systems. While thedescription herein discusses the use of the device 10 in the context ofshipping, it can also be used to gather information about a package forthe purpose of listing it for sale on marketplaces, e.g., Amazon. Thisinformation would be collected at the time it is first received into awarehouse.

Order processing is the process or workflow associated with the picking,packing and delivery of packaged items to a shipping carrier and is akey element of order fulfillment. Order processing operations orfacilities are commonly called “distribution centers” or “DC's”. Thereare wide variances in the level of automation associating to the“pick-pack-and-ship” process, ranging from completely manual andpaper-driven to highly automated and completely mechanized. A computersystem overseeing these processes is generally referred to as aWarehouse Management System or “WMS”.

WMS is a software application designed to support and optimize warehousefunctionality and distribution center management. These systemsfacilitate management in using simplified automatic technologies usefulin daily activities like planning, organizing, staffing, directing,warehouse keeping and controlling the utilization of availableresources, to move and store materials inside, around and outside of awarehouse, while supporting staff in the performance of materialmovement and storage in and around a warehouse, without causing anylarge scale disruption to business resources.

The package dimensioning device 10 has a frame 14 including a base 16and a vertical support member 18 extending vertically from the base. Thebase 16 is configured to receive the package 12 thereon. The base 16includes a weight sensor 13 configured to output a weight data signalrelated to a weight of the package. The base 16 and weight sensor 13 ofthe package dimensioning device 10 act as a scale, weighing the package(e.g. up to 100 lbs.).

There are multiple space-apart contactless sensors including a topsensor 20 carried by the vertical support member 18, and side sensors22, 24 positioned adjacent sides of the base 16. The top sensor 20 andthe side sensors 22, 24 are configured to output dimensional datasignals related to a height, length and width of the package 12. Thesensors 20, 22, 24 may be mounted to the base 16 or carried by armsassociated with the base to measure the dimensions of the box.

A control unit 30 is communicatively coupled to the weight sensor 13 andmultiple spaced apart sensors 20, 22, 24 and configured to calculateweight, height, length and width measurements of the package 12 basedupon the weight data signal and dimensional data signals. The controlunit 30 may be implemented by hardware, software and/or firmware toprovide the functionality described herein.

A communication unit 32 is coupled to the control unit 30 and configuredto output the weight, height, length and width measurements to acomputer network resource for access and use by the computer-implementedpackage management processes. In various embodiments, the communicationunit may be a wireless communication interface, e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth,or any other compatible wireless communication protocol.

In various embodiments, the computer network resource may be a UniformResource Locator (URL) configured to publish the weight, height, lengthand width measurements so that the computer-implemented packagemanagement processes can access and use the weight, height, length andwidth measurements. The computer network resource may also be referredto as a shared resource, or network share, and is a computer resourcemade available from one host to other hosts on a computer network. It isa device or piece of information on a computer that can be remotelyaccessed from another computer transparently as if it were a resource inthe local machine.

A display 34 may be carried by a display mount 36 and is configured todisplay the weight, height, length and width measurements to anoperator. The display may be a touchscreen display and may operate as auser interface for the package dimensioning device 10. The display mount36 may be an articulated arm, as illustrated, or other type of displayholder. The display 34, control unit 30 and communication unit 32 may beintegrated as a single component (as illustrated) or be separatelylocated within the package dimensioning device 10 while beingcommunicatively coupled together via wired or wireless channels. A powersupply 38 may be carried by the frame 14 and may provide for plug-inoutlet power or battery power as would be appreciated by those skilledin the art.

The power supply 38 may comprise of one or more batteries that may beremovable, exchangeable and/or rechargeable. Alternatively, themeasurement relay 200 may be configured to be powered by a measurementdevice 200 that the measurement relay 100 is in communication with.Alternatively, the power supply 38 of the measurement relay 100 may beconfigured to be supplied power from a measurement device 200 that thepower supply 38 is in communication with. The power supply 38 may alsobe configured to regulate the power received from the measurement device200.

Packages are handled and shipped by various shippers including UnitedParcel Service, Federal Express, USPS, DHL and many other smallercourier and delivery services. Typically, the charges by the carriers totheir customers are based on the so-called “dim-weight factor” or“dimensional weight factor” (DWF) of the article being shipped. The DWFis an industry dimension calculated as the length times width timesheight in inches divided by a standard agency or association-recognizeddivisor or conversion factor, commonly 166 (L×W×H÷166). The “166”divisor or conversion factor has been recognized and adopted by theInternational Air Transport Association (I.A.T.A). Even if an object orpackage is of irregular configuration, the dim weight, using the longestmeasurement each of length, width, and height, may still be utilized forbilling purposes. The volume computed by multiplication of object lengthtimes width times height may hereinafter be termed the “cubic volume,”“spatial volume,” or simply the “cube” of the object.

Accordingly, the scale defined at the base 12 of the device 10 measuresthe weight while the multiple sensors 20, 22, 24 provide data signalsthat are used in geometrical calculations internally by the dimensioningdevice or by the system to provide the length, width and heightmeasurements of the package or box. The four measurements may betransmitted simultaneously to the system or to a handheld device. Alsoincluded is the functionality on the scale for tare weight, to basicallyrest the scale to zero.

The outputs from the device 10 are combined and may be displayed on amonitor, i.e., so they are visible to an operator on the display 34(e.g. an LCD display of the control unit 30) using a user interface(e.g. XAML UI). Other devices, such as a handheld or mobile device, canalso connect to the dimensioning device 10 via wireless or wiredconnections (e.g. via WiFi) and there may also be a wired or wirelessconnection (e.g. a USB cable connection) to transmit the dimensions tothe host computer or network.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example of the display 34 of thedimensioning device 10 and showing the weight, height, length and widthmeasurements of a package. A scannable code may be included on this userinterface. For example, a QR code 39 may be displayed on the display 34,and upon scanning with a mobile device, it opens a browser with thedimensions displayed and it can be shared with other apps on the mobiledevice, e.g., emailing a link etc. From the browser, the user can seewhich mobile devices are connected to the dimensioning device 10 and maychange settings such as whether it displays the weight in imperial ormetric. FIGS. 4A-4C are illustrations of examples of a mobile interfacewhen a user views the weight, height, length and width measurements fromthe dimensioning device 10 on their mobile device, e.g. after scanningthe QR code 39. The measurements may also be accessed using anApplication Programming Interface (API).

So, the dimensions for a shipping order are loaded into the systemwithout requiring a user to input the data manually. With a command(e.g. activation from a web application running on a handheld or mounteddevice) these four values are measured by the package dimensioningdevice 10 and then output into the warehouse/shipping system (and webapplication) to prepare the package 12 to be shipped. Since thedimensions are published to a network resource or URL, it can beaccessed from within any web browser, and web based application. So, theinformation can be accessed anywhere over a network or the internet.

The contactless sensors, e.g., the top sensor 20 and side sensors 22,24, may be laser sensors, optical sensors, light sensors and/orultrasound sensors.

The measurements may benefit from tight control of all three calibrationparameters: precision, accuracy and repeatability to provide qualitydata. Optical and laser sensors may be used in the embodiments, e.g.,Laser Displacement, Inductive Displacement and Collimated Beam Sensorsthat provide high-speed and accurate measurements. The measurements maybe carried out by optical sensors, using different kinds of light andthus may be contactless and maintenance free. The measurement technologymay be based on laser, LED or structured light technology e.g., based oncamera vision sensors.

Ultrasound technology is extremely safe, emitting no radiation (such asvisible, ultraviolet, or infrared light), no audible sound, no odor, andno heat. Further, ultrasound, as used in the present invention, will notdamage a package or its contents during the measurement operation.Finally, the ultrasonic sensors utilized in the present invention haveno moving parts and may also be maintenance free.

Ultrasonic transducers and ultrasonic sensors are devices that generateor sense ultrasound energy. They can be divided into three broadcategories: transmitters, receivers and transceivers. Transmittersconvert electrical signals into ultrasound, receivers convert ultrasoundinto electrical signals, and transceivers can both transmit and receiveultrasound.

In a similar way to radar and sonar, ultrasonic transducers are used insystems which evaluate targets by interpreting the reflected signals.For example, by measuring the time between sending a signal andreceiving an echo the distance of an object can be calculated. Passiveultrasonic sensors may, for example, be provided by microphones thatdetect ultrasonic noise that is present under certain conditions. Thedesign of transducer can vary greatly depending on its use.

Ultrasound can also be used to make point-to-point distance measurementsby transmitting and receiving discrete bursts of ultrasound betweentransducers. This technique is known as Sonomicrometry where thetransit-time of the ultrasound signal is measured electronically (i.e.digitally) and converted mathematically to the distance betweentransducers assuming the speed of sound of the medium between thetransducers is known. This method can be very precise in terms oftemporal and spatial resolution because the time-of-flight measurementcan be derived from tracking the same incident (received) waveformeither by reference level or zero crossing. This enables the measurementresolution to far exceed the wavelength of the sound frequency generatedby the transducers.

The present invention contemplates that the dimensioning device can beselected to operate in both metric and imperial units of measure for usein the USA or any other country. As such, the dimensioning device 10 mayinclude a selection to operate in either metric or imperial units. Theselection feature may be implemented by a switch or a touch screenselection, for example. As such, the control unit 30 may be configuredto be selected to operate in one of metric and imperial units ofmeasure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer machine 900upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussedherein may perform. Examples, as described herein, may include, or mayoperate by, logic or several components, or mechanisms in the machine900. Circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry) is a collection of circuitsimplemented in tangible entities of the machine 900 that includehardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). Circuitrymembership may be flexible over time. Circuitries include members thatmay, alone or in combination, perform specified operations whenoperating. In an example, hardware of the circuitry may be immutablydesigned to carry out a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In anexample, the hardware of the circuitry may include variably connectedphysical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simplecircuits, etc.) including a machine readable medium physically modified(e.g., magnetically, electrically, moveable placement of invariantmassed particles, etc.) to encode instructions of the specificoperation. In connecting the physical components, the underlyingelectrical properties of a hardware constituent are changed, forexample, from an insulator to a conductor or vice versa. Theinstructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., the execution units or aloading mechanism) to create members of the circuitry in hardware viathe variable connections to carry out portions of the specific operationwhen in operation. Accordingly, in an example, the machine-readablemedium elements are part of the circuitry or are communicatively coupledto the other components of the circuitry when the device is operating.In an example, any of the physical components may be used in more thanone member of more than one circuitry. For example, under operation,execution units may be used in a first circuit of a first circuitry atone point in time and reused by a second circuit in the first circuitry,or by a third circuit in a second circuitry at a different time.Additional examples of these components with respect to the machine 900follow.

In alternative embodiments, the machine 900 may operate as a standalonedevice or may be connected (e.g., wired or wirelessly networked) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 900 may operatein the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both inserver-client network environments. In an example, the machine 900 mayact as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed)network environment. The machine 900 may be a personal computer (PC), atablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), amobile telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further,while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloudcomputing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer clusterconfigurations.

The machine (e.g., computer system) 900 may include a hardware processor902 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a mainmemory 904, a static memory (e.g., memory or storage for firmware,microcode, a basic-input-output (BIOS), unified extensible firmwareinterface (UEFI), etc.) 906, and mass storage 908 (e.g., hard drive,tape drive, flash storage, or other block devices) some or all of whichmay communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 930. Themachine 900 may further include a display unit 910, an alphanumericinput device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI)navigation device 914 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit910, input device 912 and UI navigation device 914 may be a touch screendisplay. The machine 900 may additionally include a storage device(e.g., drive unit) 908, a signal generation device 918 (e.g., aspeaker), a network interface device 920, and one or more sensors 916,such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass,accelerometer, or another sensor. The machine 900 may include an outputcontroller 928, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB),parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near fieldcommunication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one ormore peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.).

Registers of the processor 902, the main memory 904, the static memory906, or the mass storage 908 may be, or include, a machine readablemedium 922 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures orinstructions 924 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one ormore of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions924 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within any ofregisters of the processor 902, the main memory 904, the static memory906, or the mass storage 908 during execution thereof by the machine900. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor902, the main memory 904, the static memory 906, or the mass storage 908may constitute the machine-readable media 922. While the machinereadable medium 922 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machinereadable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) configured to store the one or more instructions 924.

The term “machine readable medium” may include any medium that iscapable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution bythe machine 900 and that cause the machine 900 to perform any one ormore of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated withsuch instructions. Non-limiting machine-readable medium examples mayinclude solid-state memories, optical media, magnetic media, and signals(e.g., radio frequency signals, other photon-based signals, soundsignals, etc.). In an example, a non-transitory machine-readable mediumcomprises a machine-readable medium with a plurality of particles havinginvariant (e.g., rest) mass, and thus are compositions of matter.Accordingly, non-transitory machine-readable media are machine readablemedia that do not include transitory propagating signals. Specificexamples of non-transitory machine-readable media may include:non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g.,Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

The instructions 924 may be further transmitted or received over acommunications network 926 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 920 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols(e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission controlprotocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet datanetwork (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellularnetworks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless datanetworks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family ofstandards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards,peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the networkinterface device 920 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g.,Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect tothe communications network 926. In an example, the network interfacedevice 920 may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicateusing at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO),multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output(MISO) techniques. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken toinclude any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding orcarrying instructions for execution by the machine 900, and includesdigital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium tofacilitate communication of such software. A transmission medium is amachine readable medium.

All of the above and below embodiments of the present inventionmentioned herein are not to be read as limiting on each other in any wayor capacity. All of what is described for the above and belowembodiments of the present invention mentioned herein may share one ormore, or none, of what is described for each member, structure,function, feature, and advantage, in a similar or same manner.

Now referring to FIGS. 6-11 , alternative embodiments of the presentinvention may be directed to a measurement relay device 100 for portablyreading and communicating weight measurements via a network 926. Themeasurement relay device 100 may include a housing 102, a display 34, acontrol unit 30, a communication unit 32, a power supply 38, a datastorage unit 118, an input interface 114, a communication port 104, anda connection line 106. The housing 102 may have a number of outwardfacing surfaces. The display 34 may be positioned on one of the outwardfacing surfaces of the housing 102 and/or carried by the housing 102.

The control unit 30 may be carried by the housing 102, and the controlunit 30 may be in communication with the display 34, the communicationunit 32, the power supply 38, the data storage unit 118, the inputinterface 114, the communication port 104, the connection line 106, thenetwork 926, the mobile device 116, the server 112, and a measurementdevice 200. The control unit 30 may be configured to control themembers, devices, machines, components, and/or units that the controlunit 30 is in communication with. The control unit 30 may comprise ofany device that is capable of operating, reading, commanding, receiving,sending, and/or computing computer readable instructions. For example,without limitation, a processor, microprocessor, and/or microcontroller.

The communication unit 32 may be carried by the housing 102 and thecommunication unit 32 may be in communication with one or more of thecontrol unit 30, the network 926, the display 34, the power supply 38,the data storage unit 118, the input interface 114, the communicationport 104, the connection line 106, the mobile device 116, the server112, and a measurement device 200. The communication unit 32 maycomprise of a wireless transceiver and may be configured to be able tofacilitate wireless communication.

The control unit 30 may be in communication with a measurement device200. The control unit 30 and/or communication unit 32 may be incommunication with the measurement device 200 by a wired or wirelessconnection, such as, without limitation, USB, SATA, Bluetooth, WiFi, AdHoc WiFi, NFC, and/or any other wired or wireless connection forcommunication as understood by those skilled in the art. The measurementrelay device 100 may be spaced apart from the measurement device 200,such that there may be a length of distance between them. Themeasurement device 200 may comprise of a scale, and the scale used maybe configured to measure weight of objects including, withoutlimitation, packages. Alternatively, the measurement device 200 maycomprise of a dimensioning determination device that is capable ofdetermining the dimensions of an object, such as a package, includingthe length, width, and height of the object/package. The measurementdata that is collected by the measurement relay device may be one ormore of dimensions and weight of the package 12 and/or object.

The control unit 30 may be configured to receive a data relating tomeasurements, which may be measurements of a package 12 or an object,from the measurement device 108, which may be defined as measurementdata. In embodiments of the present invention that include a dimensiondetermination device, the measurement data may include both weightmeasurement data and dimension measurement data.

The control unit 30 may also be configured to be in communication with amobile device 116 via the network 926. The communication between thecontrol unit 30 and the mobile device 116 may be wireless communication.The wireless communication may be for example, without limitation,Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Ad-hoc, and/or Wi-Fi.

The display 34 may be configured to receive the data related tomeasurements and/or measurement data and display the data on the display34. The display 34 may receive the data from one or more of the controlunit 30, the communication unit 32, the network 926, the measurementdevice 200, and/or a server 112 that may be in communication with one ormore of the control unit 30, the communication unit 32, the display 34,and/or the network 926. The measurement data may be configured to bedisplayed on the display 34. The display 34 may include a touch screendisplay, and the display 34 may be configured to emit an input signalupon user input of the display.

The measurement relay device 100 may also include an input interface 114that may be positioned on one of the outward facing surfaces of thehousing 102. The input interface 114 may also be carried by the housing102. The input interface 114 may comprise of a button, switch, and/orknob. The input interface 114 may be in communication with the controlunit 30, the communication unit 32, the display 34, and/or the network926. The input interface 114 may be configured to emit an input signalupon an input made by a user. The control unit 30 may be configured totake a predetermined action based on the input signal emitted by theinput interface 114 and received by the control unit 30. For example,without limitation, the predetermined action based on the input signalemitted by the input interface 114 may include power on/off, changemodes of operation, and/or connect/disconnect to the network 926 ormobile device.

The control unit 30 may be configured to send and/or receive weightmeasurement data to and/or from the server 112 via the network 926. Themobile device 116 may be configured to operate the control unit 30 byemitting a command. The mobile device 116 may also be configured todisplay the measurement data received from the measurement relay device100 or the servers 112 thereon the mobile device 116. The measurementdata may be configured to be display on the mobile device 116. Thenetwork 926 may be a wireless communication network.

The measurement relay device 100 may include a power supply 38 that maybe carried by the housing 102. The power supply 38 may also be astand-alone power supply that is not attached to the housing 102. Thepower supply 38 may be in communication with a measurement device 108,and the power supply 38 may be configured to supply power to themeasurement device 108. The power supply 38 may be in communicationwith, and may be configured to supply electrical power to, thecommunication unit 32, the control unit 30, the display 34, the inputinterface 114, the communication port 104, the connection line 106, andthe measurement device 200.

The power supply 38 may comprise one or more of a power bank, powerstorage, and a power link. The power supply 38 may also comprise one ormore batteries, a power outlet plug, and a power jack. Furthermore, thepower supply 38 may comprise of one or more batteries that may beremovable, exchangeable, and/or rechargeable. Alternatively, themeasurement relay 200 may be configured to be powered by a measurementdevice 200 that the measurement relay 100 is in communication with.Alternatively, the power supply 38 of the measurement relay 100 may beconfigured to be supplied power from a measurement device 200 that thepower supply 38 is in communication with. The power supply 38 may alsobe configured to regulate the power received from the measurement device200.

Some embodiments of the present invention directed to a measurementrelay device 100 may not include a display 34. The communication unit 32may be configured to be in communication with a mobile device 116 by awired or wireless connection. The mobile device 116 may be used tooperate the measurement relay device 100, control unit 30, communicationunit 32, and/or power supply 38. For example, the mobile device 116 maybe used to enable the measurement relay device 100 to connect to anetwork 926, such as a wireless network and the internet.

The measurement relay device 100 may include a data storage unit 118.The data storage unit 118 may be carried by the housing 102 and may bein communication with the control unit 30, communication unit 32, inputinterface 114, the network 926, the measurement device 200, thecommunication port 104, the connection line 106, and/or a server 112.The data storage unit 118 may be configured to receive and sendmeasurement data and store the received measurement data. The datastorage unit 118 may be defined similarly or the same as described abovefor the main memory 904, static memory 906, and mass storage 908.

Some embodiments of the present invention directed to a measurementrelay device 100 may include one or more communication ports 104 and oneor more connection lines 106. The communication port 104 may bepositioned on one of the outward facing surfaces of the housing 102. Thecommunication port 104 may also be carried by the housing 102. Thecommunication port 104 and the connection line 106 may be incommunication with each other and may be configured to matingly engagedone another. The communication port 104 may be in communication with themeasurement device 108, which may be via the connection line 106. Theconnection line 106 may be configured to be removably connectable to themeasurement device 108 and the communication port 104.

The communication port(s) 104 be may be one or more of universal serialbus (USB) ports, including any version or type of USB port, such as,without limitation, USB type A, B, C, mini-A, mini-B, micro-A, micro-BUSB, serial advance technology attachment (SATA), peripheral componentinterconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect express (PICe),ethernet, personal system/2 (PS/2), firewire IEEE 1394, thunderbolt, andlightning ports. The communication port(s) 104 may also be any type ofethernet port, cable port, fiber-optic port, coaxial port, and any otherport for data communication to be used as a communication port 104 asunderstood by those skilled in the art. The connection line 106 may beone or more of any line for data communication as respectively mentionedabove for the types of ports that the communication port 104.

A mobile device 116 may contain a measurement application. Themeasurement application may be operated on the mobile device 116 to sendcommands via the network 926 to operate and/or control the measurementrelay device 100 and/or the control unit 30. The control unit 30 and/orcommunication unit 32 may be configured to emit and/or send themeasurement data to one or more servers 112 that are in communicationwith the network 926. The servers 112 may be configured to receive,store, and send the measurement data. The servers 112 may be configuredto send the measurement data to the mobile device 116 upon a commandsent by the mobile device 116 that requests to receive the measurementdata.

The measurement data may be indexed and/or filtered in the servers 112based on a number of predetermined parameters including, withoutlimitation, weight, height, width, length, dimensions, parameters,package type, package contents, package location, date, name, title,label, sender, recipient, and any other parameter for indexing packagesas understood by those skilled in the art.

Embodiments of the present invention that are directed to a measurementrelay device 100 are advantageous for the warehouse and shippingenvironment due to its portability. For example, without limitation, themeasurement relay device 100 may be removably connected to measurementdevices 108 that may be located throughout a warehouse or in vehicles orautomobiles. Those skilled in the art will notice and appreciate thatpackages maybe be weighed by a measurement device 108 connected to ameasurement relay device 100 located on or near a vehicle or automobile,with the measurement relay device 100 sending the measurement data to aserver 112 or mobile device 116, making it unnecessary to weigh thepackages at another location, such as at a warehouse. The measurementrelay device 100 also advantageously removes the step of havingindividuals manually take note of the weight of the packages or inputthe weight of the packages into a database via a computer or inputdevice.

A method embodiment of the present invention is for remotely capturingmeasurement data relating to a package 12. The method may include a stepof receiving data relating to measurements of an object or a package 12from a measurement device 200 with a control unit 30 that is carried bya housing 102. The data relating to measurements of the package 12 maybe defined as measurement data. The method may also include the step oftransmitting the measurement data via a network 926 with a communicationunit 32. The communication unit 32 may be carried by the housing 102,and the communication unit 32 may be in communication with the controlunit 30. The transmitted measurement data may be used to be incorporatedinto a computer implemented system that requires measurement data. Thecomputer implemented system may be a shipping system that uses themeasurement data of the package.

The method may also include the step of displaying the measurement dataon a display 34 that may be in communication with the control unit 30.The display 34 may be carried by the housing 102. The control unit 30may be removably connectable to the measurement device 200 via aconnection line 106. The connection line 106 may comprise one or more ofa universal serial bus (USB), serial advance technology attachment(SATA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), peripheral componentinterconnect express (PICe), ethernet, personal system/2 (PS/2),firewire IEEE 1394, thunderbolt, lightning, and any other dataconnection line as understood by those skilled in the art.

The method may also include the step of supplying power to themeasurement device 200 with a power supply 38. The method may furtherinclude the step of controlling the control unit 30 with an inputinterface 114. The input interface 114 may be carried by the housing 102and the input interface 114 may be in communication with the controlunit 30. The input interface 114 may comprise one or more of a button,switch, and a knob.

Another embodiment of the present invention may be directed to a methodof remotely collecting and relaying measurement data using a measurementrelay device 100 that comprises a housing 102, a control unit 30 thatmay be carried by the housing 102, and a communication unit 32 that maybe carried by the housing 102. The communication unit 32 may be incommunication with the control unit 30.

The method may comprise: connecting the measurement relay device 100 toa measurement device 200 and to a network 926; receiving the measurementdata by the measurement relay device 100 from the measurement device200, the data relating to measurements associated with an object; andtransmitting the measurement data via the network 926 to be incorporatedinto a computer implemented system that requires the measurement data.The method may further comprise displaying the measurement data on adisplay 34 that is carried by the housing 102 and in communication withthe control unit 30.

The measurement relay device 100 may be connected to the measurementdevice 200 via a connection line 106. The connection line 106 maycomprise a universal serial bus (USB), serial advance technologyattachment (SATA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), peripheralcomponent interconnect express (PICe), ethernet, personal system/2(PS/2), firewire IEEE 1394, thunderbolt, and/or lightning. Thecommunication unit 32 may comprise a wireless transceiver that may beconfigured to wirelessly connect to a server 112 on the network 926. Theconnection between the measurement relay device 100 and the measurementdevice 200 may be a wireless connection.

The measurement device 200 may comprise a scale. The measurement relaydevice 100 may further comprise a power supply 38. The power supply 38may be used to provide power to the control unit 30, the display 34and/or the communication unit 32. The power supply 38 may be furtherconfigured to provide power to the measurement device 200. Themeasurement device 200 may comprise a object measurement device 210. Inembodiment of the present invention that include a object measurementdevice 210, the measurement data may include weight measurement data anddimension measurement data of an object and/or a package 12. Themeasurement data that is collected by the measurement relay device 100and/or the measurement device 200 may include dimensions and/or weightof a package and/or object. The computer implemented system may be ashipping system that uses the measurement data of the package 12 and/orobject. The method may further comprise controlling the control unit 30with an input interface 114 that may be carried by the housing 102. Theinput interface 114 may be in communication with the control unit 30,the communication unit 32, the communication port 104, the connectionline 106, the network 926, the server 112, the display 34, the powersupply 38, and/or the mobile device 116. The input interface 114 maycomprise a button, switch, and/or a knob.

Now additionally referring to FIGS. 12A-12D, the display 34 may beconfigured to display an interface. The interface may containinformation and data that may include the weight of an object/package,and the dimensions of an object/package. The dimensions may include thelength, width, and height of the object/package. The weight may be shownin various units of measurement including, without limitation, imperialunits and metric units. The dimensions may also be shown in variousunits of measurement including, without limitation, imperial units andmetric units. The interface may also contain information such as,without limitation, network 926 connection status, power status of thepower supply 38, and account assignment for saving measurement data. Asillustratively shown in FIG. 12C, the interface may contain a QR code 39that may be scanned by a handheld device or mobile device 116 so thatthe mobile device 116 or handheld device may be directed to a computernetwork recourse or mobile application to view, manage, control, and/oroperate an embodiment of the present invention, or to download themobile application.

Now referring to FIGS. 10-11 and 13 , some embodiments of the presentinvention may be for an object measurement device 210 for weighing anddetermining the dimensions of an object/package 12. The objectmeasurement device 210 may include a base 16, a vertical support member18, and at least a pair of sidewalls 19. The vertical support member 18may be connected to a portion of the base 16. Specifically, the verticalsupport member 18 may be connected to a corner of the base 16, and thevertical support member 18 may be extending upwardly from the base 16 inan upwards direction.

The sidewalls 19 may be attached to the base 16, which may be onportions of an outer perimeter of the base 16, and the sidewalls 19 maybe attached the vertical support member 18, which may be near oradjacent to where the sidewalls meet one another. The sidewalls 19 maybe extending upwardly from the base 16 in a upwards direction, and thesidewalls 19 may be positioned adjacent to the vertical support member18. The sidewalls 19 may also be positioned at an angle relative to eachother, such as, without limitation, an angle relative to each sidewall19 such that the sidewalls 19, and/or ends of the sidewalls 19, arenormal to one another. Specifically, the sidewalls 19 may be positionedto form a 90-degree angle relative to one another.

The sidewalls 19 may be configured to form a corner so that a user maypush an object or package against the sidewalls 19, which may be done toensure that the object or package 12 is in a position on the base 16where more accurate readings of the weight and/or the dimensions of theobject/package 12 may be taken by the weight sensor 13 and/or thedimension sensors 20, 22, 24. More detail on the weight sensor 13 andthe dimension sensors 20, 22, 24 is included above, and follows furtherbelow.

The object measurement device 210 may include a weight sensor 13, andone or more dimension sensors 20, 22, 24. The weight sensor 13 may bepositioned on the base 16, or the weight sensor 13 may be carried by thebase 16. Alternatively, the base 16 may comprise of a weight sensor 13.The weight sensor 13 may be configured to sense the weight of objectsand/or packages 12 placed upon the base 16 and/or the weight sensor 13.The weight sensor 13 may be configured to emit a weight measurement datasignal that may related to weight measurement data.

The one or more dimension sensors 20, 22, 24, may include a top sensor20, a first side sensor 22, and a second side sensor 24. The dimensionsensors 20, 22, 24, may be in communication with one another. Thedimension sensors 20, 22, 24 may be configured to sense dimensions of anobject and/or package 12. The dimensions of the object/package 12 sensedby the dimension sensors 20, 22, 24 may include a height, width, andlength of the object/package 12. The dimension sensors 20, 22, 24 maycomprise of optical sensors, light sensors, ultrasound sensors and lasersensors. The top sensor 20 may be positioned and/or attached to thevertical support member 18. The first side sensor 22 may be positionedand/or attached to a side of the base 16 and/or the weight sensor 13.The first side sensor 20 may be positioned and/or attached to an outerperimeter of the base 16. The second side sensor 24 may be positionedand/or attached to another side of the base 16 and/or the weight sensor13. The second side sensor 24 may also be positioned and/or attached toan outer perimeter of the base 16.

The object measurement device 210 may include a communication unit 32.The communication unit 32 may be coupled with, in communication with,and/or configured to be remotely connected with, the base 16, the weightsensor 13, the dimension sensors 20, 22, 24, the network 926, the hostcomputer 900, the mobile device 116, and the server 112. Thecommunication unit 32 may be configured to receive weight measurementdata and dimensional measurement data. The communication unit 32 mayalso be configured to communicate weight measurement data anddimensional measurement data via the network 926.

The communication unit 32 may be carried by the base 16 and/or thevertical support member 18. The communication unit 32 may also be spacedapart from the base 16 and/or the vertical support member 18. Thecommunication unit 32 may comprise of a wireless communication devicethat may be configured to connect to and transceive data with a wirelessform of communication and/or a wireless network 926. The communicationunit 32 may be configured to send weight measurement data and/ordimensional measurement data to the host computer 900.

The communication unit 32 may comprise of a measurement relay device100. The measurement relay device 100 may be defined the same orsimilarly as the measurement relay device 100 is defined further aboveand herein.

The object measurement device 210 may include a power supply 38. Thepower supply 38 may comprise of a rechargeable battery, anon-rechargeable battery, replaceable batteries, a wall outlet powersource, a power regulator, and a power generator. The power supply 38may be coupled with and configured to supply power to the base 16, theweight sensor 13, the dimension sensors 20, 22, 24, and/or thecommunication unit 32. The communication unit 32 may be configured tosupply power to the object measurement device 210, specifically, thecommunication unit 32 may comprise of a measurement relay device 100that is configured to supply power to the weight sensor 13, thedimension sensors 20, 22, 24, and/or the power supply 38 of the objectmeasurement device 210.

The host computer 900 may be configured to receive weight measurementdata from the weight sensor 13 and may be configured to receivedimensional measurement data from the dimension sensors 20, 22, 24,which may be received by the host computer 900 via the communicationunit 32 and/or the network 926. The host computer 900 may be configuredto supply power to the weight sensor 13 and/or the dimension sensors 20,22, 24. The host computer 900 may also be configured to control theweight sensor 13 and/or the dimension sensors 20, 22, 24, which may bevia the communication unit 32 and/or the network 926. The host computer900 may be configured to output the weight measurement data and thedimensional measurement data to a computer network resource via thenetwork 926. The computer network resource may be on the network 926 andmay be located in a server 112 that is coupled in communication with thenetwork 926. The computer network resource may include a UniformResource Locator (URL). The URL may be configured to publish the weightmeasurement data and the dimensional measurement data, which may beaccessible to computer-implemented package management processes.

The host computer 900 may include a user interface configured tofacilitate inputs made by a user of the host computer 900. The hostcomputer 900 may emit sensor control signals to the weight sensor 13and/or dimension sensors 20, 22, 24 based upon the inputs made by theuser on the host computer 900 via the user interface of the hostcomputer 900. The weight sensor 13 and the dimension sensors 20, 22, 24may be configured to receive the sensor control signals and take apredetermined action thereafter.

The server 122 may be coupled in communication with the network 926. Theserver 122 may comprise of one or more servers that are in communicationwith one another and/or the network 926. The server 112 may beconfigured to receive, store, and send data including weight measurementdata and dimension measurement data via the network 926. The server 122may include various components and members as understood by thoseskilled in the art that may be used within and for a server 122. Forexample, without limitation, the server 122 may include one or moreprocessors, hard drives, static memory, non-static memory, volatilememory, non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), networkdevices, power supplies, interconnection bridges such as motherboards,graphics processing units (GPUs), and computer readable information/codereaders and writers.

The server 122 may be configured to send weight measurement data and/ordimension measurement data to a computer device in communication withthe network 926 upon the server 122 receiving a data request signal fromthe computer device. The computer device may include, withoutlimitation, of a laptop, mobile device 116, personal computer, tablet,computer terminal, handheld device, and/or a desktop computer.

Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may beadvantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problemsnot discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages,and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is tobe understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achievedin accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus,the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achievesor optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught hereinwithout necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught orsuggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to benovel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in theconcluding portion of the specification. These and other features,aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become betterunderstood with reference to the following drawings and detaileddescription.

It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can becarried out in many different orders according to user preference. Uponreading this specification, it should be appreciated that, underappropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference,user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements,available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of usearrangements such as, for example, different orders withinabove-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps,including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may besufficient.

Users may download an application on their mobile phones, tablets or anyother mobile computing device, and even a vehicle.

The disclosure provides illustration and description, but is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the preciseform disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of theimplementations.

As used herein, the term component is intended to be broadly construedas hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, described herein, maybe implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or acombination of hardware and software. The actual specialized controlhardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methodsis not limiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behaviorof the systems and/or methods were described herein without reference tospecific software code—it being understood that software and hardwarecan be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based on thedescription herein.

Even though particular combinations of features may be recited in claimsand/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of possible implementations. In fact,many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recitedin the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although eachdependent claim listed herein may directly depend on only one claim, thedisclosure of possible implementations includes each dependent claim incombination with every other claim in the claim set.

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore,as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include one or more items(e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination of related items,and unrelated items, etc.), and may be used interchangeably with “one ormore.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similarlanguage is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,”“having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, thephrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise.

As may be used herein, the terms “substantially” and “approximately”provides an industry-accepted tolerance for its corresponding termand/or relativity between items. Such an industry-accepted toleranceranges from less than one percent to fifty percent. As may also be usedherein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupled to”, and/or“coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirectcoupling between items via an intervening item (e.g., an item includes,but is not limited to, a component, an element, a circuit, and/or amodule). As may further be used herein, inferred coupling (i.e., whereone element is coupled to another element by inference) includes directand indirect coupling between two items in the same manner as “coupledto”. As may even further be used herein, the term “operable to” or“operably coupled to” indicates that an item includes one or more ofpower connections, input(s), output(s), etc., to perform, whenactivated, one or more its corresponding functions and may furtherinclude inferred coupling to one or more other items. As may stillfurther be used herein, the term “associated with”, includes directand/or indirect coupling of separate items and/or one item beingembedded within another item. As may be used herein, the term “comparesfavorably”, indicates that a comparison between two or more items,signals, etc., provides a desired relationship.

As may also be used herein, the terms “processor”, “module”, “processingcircuit”, and/or “processing unit” (e.g., including various modulesand/or circuitries such as may be operative, implemented, and/or forencoding, for decoding, for baseband processing, etc.) may be a singleprocessing device or a plurality of processing devices. Such aprocessing device may be a microprocessor, micro-controller, digitalsignal processor, microcomputer, central processing unit, fieldprogrammable gate array, programmable logic device, state machine, logiccircuitry, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or any device thatmanipulates signals (analog and/or digital) based on hard coding of thecircuitry and/or operational instructions. The processing module,module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit may have anassociated memory and/or an integrated memory element, which may be asingle memory device, a plurality of memory devices, and/or embeddedcircuitry of the processing module, module, processing circuit, and/orprocessing unit. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory (ROM),random access memory (RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, staticmemory, dynamic memory, flash memory, cache memory, and/or any devicethat stores digital information. Note that if the processing module,module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit includes more thanone processing device, the processing devices may be centrally located(e.g., directly coupled together via a wired and/or wireless busstructure) or may be distributedly located (e.g., cloud computing viaindirect coupling via a local area network and/or a wide area network).Further note that if the processing module, module, processing circuit,and/or processing unit implements one or more of its functions via astate machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logiccircuitry, the memory and/or memory element storing the correspondingoperational instructions may be embedded within, or external to, thecircuitry comprising the state machine, analog circuitry, digitalcircuitry, and/or logic circuitry. Still further note that, the memoryelement may store, and the processing module, module, processingcircuit, and/or processing unit executes, hard coded and/or operationalinstructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/orfunctions illustrated in one or more of the Figures. Such a memorydevice or memory element can be included in an article of manufacture.

The present invention has been described above with the aid of methodsteps illustrating the performance of specified functions andrelationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functionalbuilding blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined hereinfor convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences canbe defined so long as the specified functions and relationships areappropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences arethus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. Further, theboundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarilydefined for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries could bedefined as long as the certain significant functions are appropriatelyperformed. Similarly, flow diagram blocks may also have been arbitrarilydefined herein to illustrate certain significant functionality. To theextent used, the flow diagram block boundaries and sequence could havebeen defined otherwise and still perform the certain significantfunctionality. Such alternate definitions of both functional buildingblocks and flow diagram blocks and sequences are thus within the scopeand spirit of the claimed invention. One of average skill in the artwill also recognize that the functional building blocks, and otherillustrative blocks, modules and components herein, can be implementedas illustrated or by discrete components, application specificintegrated circuits, processors executing appropriate software and thelike or any combination thereof.

The present invention may have also been described, at least in part, interms of one or more embodiments. An embodiment of the present inventionis used herein to illustrate the present invention, an aspect thereof, afeature thereof, a concept thereof, and/or an example thereof. Aphysical embodiment of an apparatus, an article of manufacture, amachine, and/or of a process that embodies the present invention mayinclude one or more of the aspects, features, concepts, examples, etc.described with reference to one or more of the embodiments discussedherein. Further, from figure to figure, the embodiments may incorporatethe same or similarly named functions, steps, modules, etc. that may usethe same or different reference numbers and, as such, the functions,steps, modules, etc. may be the same or similar functions, steps,modules, etc. or different ones.

Unless specifically stated to the contrary, signals to, from, and/orbetween elements in a figure of any of the figures presented herein maybe analog or digital, continuous time or discrete time, and single-endedor differential. For instance, if a signal path is shown as asingle-ended path, it also represents a differential signal path.Similarly, if a signal path is shown as a differential path, it alsorepresents a single-ended signal path. While one or more particulararchitectures are described herein, other architectures can likewise beimplemented that use one or more data buses not expressly shown, directconnectivity between elements, and/or indirect coupling between otherelements as recognized by one of average skill in the art.

The term “module” is used in the description of the various embodimentsof the present invention. A module includes a functional block that isimplemented via hardware to perform one or module functions such as theprocessing of one or more input signals to produce one or more outputsignals. The hardware that implements the module may itself operate inconjunction software, and/or firmware. As used herein, a module maycontain one or more sub-modules that themselves are modules.

While particular combinations of various functions and features of thepresent invention have been expressly described herein, othercombinations of these features and functions are likewise possible. Thepresent invention is not limited by the particular examples disclosedherein and expressly incorporates these other combinations.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary andnumerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readilyenvisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which areintended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention.Further, the purpose of any included abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application.

The above description provides specific details, such as material typesand processing conditions to provide a thorough description of exampleembodiments. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand that the embodiments may be practiced without using thesespecific details.

Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may beadvantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problemsnot discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan. While theabove description contains much specificity, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but asexemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many otherramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of thevarious embodiments. While the invention has been described withreference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made, and equivalents maybe substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope ofthe invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the inventionwithout departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it isintended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodimentdisclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out thisinvention, but that the invention will include all embodiments fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and thedescription, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of theinvention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they areunless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only andnot for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore notbeing so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. donot denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second,etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, theuse of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, butrather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.

What is claimed is:
 1. An object measurement device configured toascertain measurements of an object and to provide data to a hostcomputer, the device comprising: a base configured to carry the objectthereon; a vertical support member extending upwardly from the base; aweight sensor positioned on the base and configured to sense a weight ofthe object and emit a weight measurement data signal relating to weightmeasurement data; and a plurality of dimension sensors configured tosense dimensions of the object and to emit dimensional measurement datasignals relating to dimensional measurement data; wherein the hostcomputer is in communication with the weight sensor and with theplurality of dimension sensors; and wherein the host computer isconfigured to receive the weight measurement data and the dimensionalmeasurement data.
 2. The object measurement device of claim 1, whereinthe weight sensor and the plurality of dimension sensors are remotelyconnectable to the host computer; and wherein the host computer isconfigured to control the weight sensor and the plurality of dimensionsensors.
 3. The object measurement device of claim 1, wherein the hostcomputer is configured to output the weight measurement data and thedimensional measurement data to a computer network resource thatcomprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is configured to publishthe weight measurement data and the dimensional measurement data to beaccessible to computer-implemented package management processes.
 4. Theobject measurement device of claim 1, further comprising a pair ofsidewalls connected to the base and extending upwardly therefrom;wherein the pair of sidewalls are positioned adjacent to the verticalsupport member; and wherein ends of the pair of sidewalls are positionednormal to each other.
 5. The object measurement device of claim 1,further comprising a communication unit coupled in communication withthe weight sensor, the plurality of dimension sensors, and the hostcomputer; wherein the communication unit comprises a wirelesscommunication device; and wherein the communication unit is configuredto communicate at least one of the weight measurement data and thedimensional measurement data via a network.
 6. The object measurementdevice of claim 5, wherein the communication unit is configured to atleast one of being carried by one of the base and the vertical supportmember, and spaced apart from the base and the vertical support member.7. The object measurement device of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofdimension sensors comprise a top dimension sensor and at least a pair ofside dimension sensors; wherein the top dimension sensor is positionedon the vertical support member; and wherein the at least a pair of sidedimension sensors are positioned adjacent the base.
 8. The objectmeasurement device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dimensionsensors comprise at least one of optical sensors, light sensors,ultrasound sensors and laser sensors.
 9. The object measurement deviceof claim 1, wherein the weight measurement data is related to the weightof the object; and wherein the dimension measurement data is related tothe length, width, and height of the object.
 10. An object measurementdevice configured to ascertain measurements of a package and to providedata to a host computer, the device comprising: a base configured tocarry the package thereon; a vertical support member extending upwardlyfrom the base; a weight sensor positioned on the base and configured tosense a weight of the package and emit a weight measurement data signalrelating to weight measurement data; a plurality of dimension sensorsconfigured to sense height, length and width of the package and to emitdimensional measurement data signals relating to dimensional measurementdata; and a pair of sidewalls connected to the base and extendingupwardly therefrom configured to constrain and guide placement of thepackage on the base; wherein the pair of sidewalls are positionedadjacent to the vertical support member; wherein ends of the pair ofsidewalls are positioned normal to each other; wherein the host computeris in communication with the weight sensor and with the plurality ofdimension sensors; wherein the host computer is configured to receivethe weight measurement data and the dimensional measurement data; andwherein the host computer is configured to use the weight measurementdata and the dimensional measurement data in connection with a computerimplemented shipping system.
 11. The object measurement device of claim10, wherein the weight sensor and the plurality of dimension sensors areremotely connectable to the host computer; and wherein the host computeris configured to control the weight sensor and the plurality ofdimension sensors.
 12. The object measurement device of claim 11,wherein the host computer is configured to output the weight measurementdata and the dimensional measurement data to a computer network resourcethat comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is configured topublish the weight measurement data and the dimensional measurement datato be accessible to computer-implemented package management processes.13. The object measurement device of claim 10, further comprising acommunication unit coupled in communication with the weight sensor, theplurality of dimension sensors, and the host computer; wherein thecommunication unit comprises a wireless communication device; andwherein the communication unit is configured to communicate at least oneof the weight measurement data and the dimensional measurement data viaa network.
 14. The object measurement device of claim 13, wherein thecommunication unit is configured to at least one of being carried by oneof the base and the vertical support member and spaced apart from thebase and the vertical support member.
 15. The object measurement deviceof claim 10, wherein the plurality of dimension sensors comprise a topdimension sensor and at least a pair of side dimension sensor; whereinthe top dimension sensor is positioned on the vertical support member;and wherein the at least a pair of side dimension sensors are positionedadjacent the base.
 16. The object measurement device of claim 10,wherein the plurality of dimension sensors comprise at least one ofoptical sensors, light sensors, ultrasound sensors and laser sensors.17. An object measurement device configured to ascertain measurements ofan object and to provide data to a host computer, the device comprising:a base configured to carry the object thereon; a vertical support memberextending upwardly from the base; a weight sensor positioned on the baseand configured to sense a weight of the object and emit a weightmeasurement data signal relating to weight measurement data; a pluralityof dimension sensors comprising: a top dimension sensor positioned onthe vertical support member; a first side dimension sensor positionedadjacent one side of the base; and a second side dimension sensorpositioned adjacent another side of the base; wherein the upperdimension sensor, the first lower dimension sensor, and the second lowerdimension sensor are in communication with one another and areconfigured to sense height, length and width of the object and to emitdimensional measurement data signals relating to dimensional measurementdata; a communication unit comprising a measurement relay device incommunication with the weight sensor and the plurality of dimensionsensors, and configured to receive and emit the weight measurement dataand the dimensional measurement data; and wherein the host computer isin communication with the communication unit to receive the weightmeasurement data and the dimensional measurement data.
 18. The objectmeasurement device of claim 17, wherein the communication unit isremotely connectable to the host computer; and wherein the host computeris configured to control the weight sensor and the plurality ofdimension sensors via the communication unit.
 19. The object measurementdevice of claim 17, wherein the host computer is configured to outputthe weight measurement data and the dimensional measurement data to acomputer network resource that comprises a Uniform Resource Locator(URL) that is configured to publish the weight measurement data and thedimensional measurement data to be accessible to computer-implementedpackage management processes.
 20. The object measurement device of claim17, further comprising a pair of sidewalls connected to the base andextending upwardly therefrom; wherein the pair of sidewalls arepositioned adjacent to the vertical support member; and wherein ends ofthe pair of sidewalls are positioned normal to each other.
 21. Theobject measurement device of claim 17, wherein the communication unit isconfigured to communicate at least one of the weight measurement dataand the dimensional measurement data via a network.
 22. The objectmeasurement device of claim 21, wherein the communication unit isconfigured to at least one of being carried by one of the base and thevertical support member and spaced apart from the base and the verticalsupport member.
 23. The object measurement device of claim 17, whereinthe plurality of dimension sensors comprise at least one of opticalsensors, light sensors, ultrasound sensors and laser sensors.
 24. Theobject measurement device of claim 17, wherein the weight measurementdata is related to the weight of the object; and wherein the dimensionmeasurement data is related to the length, width, and height of theobject.